Inseparable
by Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
Summary: A Zero no Tsukaima X-over. Uzumaki Naruto is all a ninja should be; cold, lethal, and silent. He was trained in all possible aspects of the ninja way - but they never prepared him for well endowed half-elves. Naruto x Tiffania
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Zero no Tsukaima. If I did, I wouldn't be here…

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**Intertwined**

_A Naruto-ZnS FanFiction by _  
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

Chapter 1

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**Konohagakure, Grand Council Chamber**

**Four years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

He wondered for the umpteenth why exactly he had kept his job. He should have known things would have turned up like this – this certainly wasn't the first time, after all – and he could only sigh as the entire council room roared in arguments. _I should be enjoying my nice retirement… but Oh no, Kami forbid._ He was tempted to pull ranks on them all, but he very well knew that that was only a temporary solution. They would start to bicker again as soon as he stopped… such was the nature of men.

He was Sandaime Hokage, the chosen undisputed leader of Konohagakure. He shouldn't have to sit here and listen to these utterly simple _civilians_ argue about what _he_ should do and not do. _Curse you, Minato. Curse you and your heroics. Curse you for leaving us so early._

_If only the Calamity hadn't happened…_

The current debate was, of course, about their little blond problem. These simpletons just could not see reason in leaving the poor child be – it wasn't good enough for them that the child was already treated like a leper amongst the villagers, despite his best efforts to curb the hatred towards the child. The few supports he had (mostly made of the head of the ninja clans) were vastly outnumbered in the Council room, where everyone was treated as 'equal', despite their background. _I wish the Shodaime hadn't created such a rule…_ Hence the current situation: the Hokage's authority notwithstanding, the majority of the council was _demanding_ for the Hokage to remove the threat.

This wouldn't have been a problem if the child was a ninja – the fate of all ninja fell under the absolute jurisdiction of the Hokage – but the reality was that the child was of mere civilian status, and there wasn't anything Sandaime could do for him other than try to shield the child from being exposed to the secret everyone else knew but him.

And then there was Danzou…

_**-Four days ago-**_

It wasn't everyday Danzou of all people visited him. The 'old-warhawk' as everyone referred to behind closed doors, Danzou wasn't known for having many friends or asking for favors; which was why the Sandaime was caught flatfooted when Danzou asked a favor of all things from him.

"Allow me to train the young Uzumaki, Sarutobi-sama." Danzou's face was as if carved out of stone – his bandaged face, though the wounds have healed long ago, was a reminder of his loyalty to the village. Sarutobi disliked his somewhat radical approach to matters, but he did indeed respect the man's experience and loyalty.

Danzou, if nothing, was loyal.

"Whatever for, old friend?" Sandaime leisurely lit his pipe, and took a relaxing breath as he leaned back in his chair. His solid obsidian eyes regarded the crippled man in front of him with certain amount of authority. Though age seemed to be catching up to him in the form of crow's feet near his eyes, the Sandaime Hokage was not one to be underestimated. "I am afraid I do not understand your intentions; the Uzumaki child has been left in the best care possible for an orphaned child of _Calamity of the Fox_."

The unspoken question hung in the air – _why do you need Uzumaki?_ Danzou held his wizened leader with impassive eyes, his dark eyes betraying nothing. "I merely wish to capitalize on the potential the boy possesses. It would be such a waste to let -"

"I do hope you are talking about Naruto's uncanny talent in consuming his noodles… because it would pain me so to behead the head of my ANBU corps over such a _trivial_ matter." Sandaime breathed in his home-grown tobacco with unnatural calm. Sandaime's message was clear – _even you are not exempt from my law._ Danzou's eyes narrowed slightly at the casual display of power, but he had an objective to accomplish. He was already in dangerous waters, but this had to be done.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, I have my reasons for bringing up such a sensitive topic. We have reasons to believe that other Great Villages are moving to oppose us once more."

Sandaime's brows furrowed at this, his visage one of grim determination, vestige of Wars of the past. _This is interesting._ "Under what grounds are you insinuating this?" The topic of war with other Villages was a sensitive topic, as many clans and families suffered throughout the various Ninja Wars of the past. No one wanted the repeat of a war, nor did they want to be reminded of them. To accuse the other villages of ill-intentions was serious matter, with certain amount of risk, politically especially – at best, you were correct and things were in deep waters, and at worst you'd lose all credibility and be labeled as a warmonger. Danzou of all people knew this personally, but he wasn't one to care for himself – as all good ninjas are taught, the Village came first. He spoke with great conviction, and was determined to prove his case.

"My… _intelligence network_ tells me of unofficial alliance between the _Iwa_ and _Kumo_, 'official' as of yesterday noon. Both countries seem to be stocking up for either a very long winter, or provisions worthy of feeding tens of thousands of soldiers." Sandaime nodded without missing a beat, despite Danzou's reference to his 'personal' ANBU battalion, the _Ne_. He knew of them, and despite what many (it's a relative term, as those who knew of Ne were few and far in between in the first place) might believe it was actually the Sandaime himself who sanctioned the creation of the secret ANBU team in the first place. There were jobs too dirty even for the vaunted ANBU corps to handle, and that's where the _Ne_ came in. As they didn't exist officially, they were the best to deal with many problems that were too… _sensitive_ to deal with even in secrecy. They hardly ever failed a mission given to them, and when they _did_ fail they left no trace of evidence that could be traced back to Konoha. All in all, he felt it was one of the better decisions he made over the last decade. _It seems that placing Danzou in charge was the right decision after all…_

"But the most concrete evidence would be this," Danzou continued as he pulled out a manila folder from the hem of his dark robe. Sandaime opened the folder with no preamble, but what he found within the document was something that would destroy whatever chance of peace left in the fragile relationship between the bitter rivaling villages. Sandaime gently set his pipe down next to the picture of his darling family, as he caught Danzou's eye in a meaningful gaze. "Is this true?"

"Without a doubt, Hokage-sama. This information was given to us directly from one of the Iwa council members, whose daughter we hold in leverage. He assured us with his life that this information is correct, and that there are plans being set into motions that would jeopardize our position as a Great Ninja Village." Danzou hoped Sandaime would see things his way – Konohagakure has been peaceful far too long, and had grown stagnant in their defenses despite his best efforts at keeping the village alert to external threats. And the rumors of a child of death in Kumo did not help things…

It was time to cultivate a secret weapon of their own.

"Hence my request, Hokage-sama. With all due respect, leaving a child of such _potential_ untrained would be making mockery of his heritage, as well as Yondaime's sacrifice. I believe that it is especially in times like these that we must be prepared for everything." Danzou knew he was treading in dangerous waters.

Sandaime said nothing as he mulled over Danzou's words. Tense silence settled between the old rivals, the clashing of decades-old invisible ideals filling the room with oppressive aura.

"I will consider it."

Long after Danzou had left his office, Sandaime silently observed the five little words: _The snake lies in Lightning._

_**-Present time-**_

Sandaime sighed once more as he tried to sooth his growing headache. He had to admit, his old rival had brought up a very logical point. If Orochimaru had indeed allied himself with the Kumogakure, and the movement of troops across the continents are accurate as reported…

War was inevitable.

If Konohagakure was to survive the oncoming tides of war, it was vital that the village stand together as one. That had been the key to the past victories over the years, and this time wouldn't be different.

_Sacrifices are necessary sometimes… and I will kill my heart once more for the sake of my village._

_I am so sorry, Naruto._

It was right there and then, the most important decision of the decade was made in Sandaime's name.

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**Konohagakure, October 10th**

**Four years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

October 10th was the faithful day of Calamity. With each passing year, people mourned for the loss of their brave warriors against the attack of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko, Biju of legends. This was the day when the Nine-tailed fox was sealed into an infant's belly at the cost of their venerable leader, Yondaime Hokage. After weeks of fighting with mounting casualties against the indomitable malevolence, their hatred for the spiritual being was almost inhuman in nature. It was only natural that they had demanded the death of the sacrificed child; _for the good of village, _they shouted,_ for everyone who has died against that monster!_

Well, after four long years of having to withstand the blond monstrosity, their wishes were being granted.

October 10th, the day the Kyuubi no Yoko was defeated, would also be the day its spawn would meet its miserable end.

It was made public for all to see – for everyone who've grieved for the loss of their loved ones from the _Calamity of the Fox_ to see their tormentor burn to ashes. There, in the middle of a town square was a square construct of wood specifically designed to hold and present the captive inside to the spectators, so that they may watch the one inside burn from start to finish. Within the construct lay a child of mere 4 years of age, his bright blue eyes panicked and frightened. He looked around confusedly, as if he didn't understand what was happening to him. He seemed to have a vague sense of what was going to happen to him, as he saw the gathered villagers' satisfactions on their faces and their loud, crazed hollering for the fire to be lit.

Then, a man with eyes that blazed with hatred for the child stepped forward, and lit a torch on fire. His face contorted to a monstrous grin as he slowly approached the pyre where the child was kept, his eyes never leaving the child's terrified face.

The blue, innocent eyes darted around wildly for help, for the old man, for the big ANBU guys, for _anyone_ to step in and save him. He could only whimper as he regarded the fire that started to burn all around him. The heat was unbearable, and the loud chanting and cheers of the surrounding villagers only added to his confusion. Last thing he saw before he blacked out was the unbearable heat and the sad eyes of the old man Hokage.

_It was so hot…_

Uzumaki Naruto was being executed.

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**Forests of Albion**

**Unknown Location**

Tiffania had always wondered about her long, elegant ears. Why did she have to hide them? Oh, that's right.

She was a half-elf.

That seemed to be the source of majority of her life's problems, Tifa duly noted. She mused that had she not been born with these long ears she so longed to proudly display, she would be living a very different life. That is not to say that she was living a bad life – she supposed it could have been much worse – but sometimes she just couldn't help but to think of 'what if's. Sometimes she couldn't help but to think she should have died with her mother; her beautiful, brave, and kind-hearted elf-mother who had endured much injustice. Oh, how she missed her so.

Her mother had done nothing wrong, but she was murdered anyway. Her mother's existence would have been a terrible nuisance to the Royal Family of Albion, who'd rather have her mother killed than to have a scandal for having an elf as a mistress to the Duke of Treasury of all people. So her mother's existence was kept a quiet secret. Her beautiful mother, who had done nothing wrong but loving someone outside her race was locked away like a dirty little secret in the Duke's summer villa hidden away in the mountains. Hiding from the public, never stepping a foot outside, and always looking towards the door with a look of longing… It was painfully apparent that her mother longed for the forests, of the trees – the freedom. But she had endured it all, all for her husband who loved her.

'_It's painful, but necessary my dear,'_ her father had once told Tiffania in secret. '_No one can know of her existence, no one can be trusted. We do not have many friends here… I hope you understand what I do is for your own benefit, you and your mother.' _ And Tiffania accepted this, and life wasn't too bad. Her mother taught her how to play instruments, and told her of grand stories of heroes of the past. Her father also came by sometimes with trinkets from faraway lands, and brought with it his smile and love for her. For a time, there was peace; her mother and herself, and sometimes the duke – the three of them led secluded but peaceful lives… for a while.

But one day, the Duke had stopped visiting them. Days, weeks passed by but there was only Tiffania and her mother in the household. Even the provisions suddenly stopped coming, and had to live off of nature's gifts using her mother's Nature magic to survive.

And then _they_ came.

The Albion Royal Family's personal army had come knocking on their door, demanding the death of the Duke's mistress. Knights and soldiers armed with various weapons broke down the door and killed the measly guards the Duke had placed for protection in his villa. Her mother had hidden her away in the closet, and locked the door. Tiffania could still remember it so vividly… in her hands was the wand her father gave her long time ago, her lithe young fingers clasping around the handle of the magical artifact.

She heard the knights enter the room, and her mother spoke in a gentle manner. _"'I will not resist. We elves do not want to fight."_

Yet, they fired upon her. The merciless fools had opened fire upon her unarmed mother with brutal disregard for her kindness. She heard the sickening sound of impact of fire upon flesh, and had curled up into herself in fear. Then for a moment, there was silence, and she knew her mother was no more.

Then they tried to open the closet – and Tiffania could still remember the cold emotions she felt then, the horrid realization that she would meet the same fate as her mother…

Something inside her awoke just then.

When she came to herself Tiffania was all alone in a deep crater. It was already night outside, and she could distinctly see the stars displayed before her in all of their glory.

Everything was gone. The villa, the knights, her mother… strangely, the only thing left was the old melody box she used to play with. She had wondered what had happened there that night, but she didn't realize until much later.

Tiffania pulled herself out of the dark memories. _Things are different now,_ she told herself. Though she was alone, she was never desperate for money or food – money, mainly because she lived deep inside the woods of Albion, where nothing but beasts and monsters lived. Food was always plentiful, as she had learned to harvest food from nature from her mother. She even had a nice little house she built all on her own, with furniture made out of wood and bed made from harvested cotton.

She led a peaceful life here in the woods, idyllic days passing by her as she delve into the power that had awoken inside of her that faithful day. But sometimes she had to wonder… if this was all that life could offer her.

It wasn't until a few weeks later life gave her an answer in the form of a near-dead swordsman.

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Author's Note: Dun. Dun. Dun.

Well, here's the prologue of my newest (and only) fanfic project. Things will be branching out in various different ways from much of the original Naruto timeline as well as Zero no Tsukaima, and they will be molded as I see fit.

And oh, did I just kill off Naruto? Hmm.

All feedbacks welcome.


	2. Rebirth

Alright, so apparently I screwed up my priorities. Prologue has been fixed, paragraphs rearranged to fit the story. And in case if some of you are still confused, here is the timeline:

Calamity of the Fox - Kyuubi attacks.

Four years later – Naruto is publicly executed.

Three years after Naruto's execution - The Kumo-Hyūga incident.

…which would leave Naruto at age 4 when he is executed. The Hyuuga incident happens before the Uchiha massacre, so I decided it happens when Naruto would be 7 years old.

Zero no Tsukaima timeline however, is a bit all fuzzy even in the visual novels – I've been trying to find an official timeline as to when/how/what but so far, it is an arbitrary thing. Meh.

I hope this clears up the confusion.

…yeah I don't own anything. Credits to Bakasuki for translation of Zero no Tsukaima visual novel texts.

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**Inseparable**

_A Naruto-ZnS FanFiction by _  
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

Chapter 1:

Rebirth

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**Konohagakure, October 11****th**** - Unknown Chamber**

**Four years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

"Open your eyes, Naruto."

Someone was calling his name… who was it? It was so hard to wake up; he just felt so comfortable. It was as if he was sleeping on a feathery cloud! He never wanted to wake up. But the voice was insistent. "… Naruto, it's time to wake up."

It was the voice of the old man!

Naruto immediately sat up from the comfortable bed; he knew that when Hokage commanded you, you _obeyed. _He wanted to be a ninja, and if he wanted to be a ninja he knew he was supposed to follow orders. Even as young as he was, Naruto knew how important it was to follow orders. If the Hokage of all people wanted him to wake up, then it was time to wake up.

He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar room, not unlike a hospital room except this room held no windows. The walls were pristine white, and the air smelled strongly of the cleanly smell associated with Hospitals, and Naruto silently wondered to himself what he had done _this time_ to warrant a trip to a hospital. Even the old man had come visited him! It must have been something big.

"Ah ha ha, Jii-san! Hi! I, uh, hope I didn't cause too much trouble this time… I swear, I didn't do anything! Well, um other than that I stole that teriyaki-stick the other day… but I was so hungry, I'm so sorry that…" As the child barely tall enough to reach his thighs blabbed on about how sorry he was to steal that piece of meat, Sandaime felt something inside of him _die. _His eyes were threatening to break out into tears as he listened to this small, bright child blame everything onto himself - as he apologized for crimes he didn't commit, and for blames he didn't deserve.

At times like these Sandaime wished he could burn his own village into the ground. But he reigned himself in, as only he could – there was always the bigger picture to consider. He effortlessly silenced the rambling child with but a hand gesture, which he knew Naruto understood from their past interactions with the ANBU and the likes. Sandaime felt like the biggest criminal for what he was about to do, but he reasoned that this would be far better than leaving the child to the biased bigots. "Naruto, there are things we must discuss. Do you understand what happened yesterday?"

At the child's innocent confusion, Sandaime continued with a heavy heart. "Naruto, you are officially dead since yesterday."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean oji-san? I'm dead? Then are you dead too? Is this heaven?" Naruto glanced about the room in wonder, but stopped after seeing Sandaime's grave expression. "No Naruto, you are not _dead. _But you are dead to the world. And from now on, you are going to be a shadow." Naruto scratched his head in confusion, his large blue eyes staring up at Sarutobi's obsidian gaze. _I suppose there's no way around it. _"Danzou, you may enter now."

At the Hokage's call, a man with imposing aura stepped into the room. Naruto silently observed the man with quiet intensity, as he learned to not trust just _anyone;_ it was tough living through the day, and the first lesson you learned is that you didn't trust just anybody. Oji-san was an exception in Naruto's book, and he viewed the man like a long-lost grandfather of sorts. But Naruto trusted no one else, not even his care-takers – well, not after whatever they fed him hurt like crazy, anyway. Naruto had learned the hard way to choose his meals wisely.

It wasn't a wonder that the child as young as Naruto was so cautious.

The impassive man – Danzou, as he was called – merely returned the observing gaze, his single charcoal eye meeting a pair of blue eyes with the liveliness of a marble. The silent exchanged lasted no more than a few seconds, before Sandaime coughed lightly. "Naruto, from this day forth you will be living under this man. You will do whatever tasks he sets upon you, you will do whatever he asks of you. You will treat this man as you would treat me, Naruto." Before he saw it, he _felt_ the protest radiating off the small boy – but it was imperative that the child understood the chain of command here and now. They were already taking large risks in running this operation; it simply wouldn't do for Naruto to do as he wished after putting on that big show yesterday. "Do you _understand me,_ Uzumaki Naruto?" Sandaime spoke with unshakable authority, and Naruto's open mouth shut with a sound. He mutely nodded, and merely contemplated his hands. He had millions of things running through his mind, but he knew better than to question the old man when he was in _this_ mode. Even the other ninjas stayed quiet when the old man used this tone, and Naruto was no exception. It didn't mean he had to like it though, especially when he had no idea what was going on.

Sandaime nodded in satisfaction, pleased that Naruto would at least obey. It wasn't necessary right now that Naruto understood what was going on – that could be explained in years to come, maybe when he's matured a bit – but it was important that Naruto would do what was asked of him. Now the rest was up to Danzou. "I'll be taking my leave then. Take good care of him Danzou." Sandaime turned to leave as Danzou silently opened the door for the wizened Hokage. Sandaime stopped as he was halfway out the door, and then addressed Naruto who still looked confused as ever. "Naruto, this may be the last time I see you before a long time… but know this: I am not abandoning you, Naruto. There are many things at work here that you do not understand, but at least know in your heart that I care about you very much. I hope you will grow up to be a fine man, and I have no doubt that you will not disappoint me. Work hard, Naruto."

Naruto's glum look was replaced by one of determination, his earlier gloom forgotten. "I won't disappoint you ojii-san! I'll make you proud!" He loudly proclaimed in his zeal to please the old man, never mind that he had absolutely no idea what he was going to be doing. But it didn't matter – the old man was the only one who has ever believed in him – and Naruto won't let him down!

As he saw the glimpse of Hokage's sad smile before he left, Naruto vowed that he would not let the old man down… on whatever he was going to be doing.

"Now then," the man called Danzou spoke up unexpectedly and Naruto couldn't help but yelp in surprise; he had forgotten that the man had even been there. "Uzumaki Naruto. From now on your name will be Shiki Buki." Naruto frowned and was about to protest but he was effortlessly silenced by the hard gaze from the single eye that promised pain. He knew instinctively that it was a _bad_ idea to complain around this man, let alone protest. "You will be trained to all that you can be under my guidance. You will become and accomplish what only many people could only dream of – you are destined for greatness. Forget about the past, as of yesterday Uzumaki Naruto died in the fire."

_Fire._ Naruto vaguely remembered being somewhere incredibly warm_._ A place where it was warm enough for his skin to melt… the angry gazes, the torch – the SCREAMS –

A hard slap broke the child out of his terrified state, and Naruto numbly stared at the single arm the man possessed. Danzou continued as if nothing had happened. "You will learn to control your emotions. You will learn to harness the power inside of you. You will become a weapon – a weapon for Konohagakure, for our future.

"Welcome to _Ne_."

And with those faithful words, Naruto's world forever changed.

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**Tristain Magic Academy**

**Female dormitory, Private room**

**The left hand of God is Gandálfr, the ferocious shield of the lord. His left hand wields a large sword and his right hand wields a long spear: protect me with endless vigilance.**

**The right hand of God is Vindalfr, the kind-hearted flute of the lord. He dominated all beasts of life, leading me through earth, sky and water.**

**The mind of the god is Myozunitonirun, is the book that carries the crystallization of thought. It carried all knowledge and provided advice whenever I was in need.**

**There was one more person, but remembering his name gave me trouble…**

**Taking the four disciples, I came to this land…**

Tiffania opened her eyes to the dimly lit room, the dawn's rays peaking over the towering mountains. _It's that dream again._ She stretched her slender arms in an elegant sweep, looking every bit gorgeous as rest of her classmates believed her to be. _I wonder what it all means… _ But she didn't have much time to dwell on idle thoughts, as she had much to do for the day. Ever since she had been 'rescued' from Albion's forests after reviving the strange yet kind swordsman, many things have changed in her life.

_Who'd have thought, that I am related to Princess Henrietta of all people…? _Life was ironic this way – just when she thought she was a no-body in this world…

It still confused her to no end how things had ended up like they had. One day she had been peacefully enjoying her quiet solitude life in the forests, and the next she was busy healing up a very badly wounded boy. Tiffania had felt something call out to her that day – a familiar voice beckoned she step outside her cabin that day, to go into the forest.

That's where she found the boy of strange circumstances, holding a talking sword in his hands.

He was very strangely dressed, but Tifa had paid no attention to such details – the boy was badly injured, with many severe wounds marring the foreign attire and bleeding into the soft ground underneath him. Tifa remembered the night well – there were beautiful Full Twins in the sky, casting their captivating colors down upon the world. But this was not what made her remember this night – it was because this was the day she parted forever with the Ring of Nature, the last connection she had to her forever deceased mother. The ring contained powerful Nature magic of the elves, and it held more than enough power to grant the miracle of recovering the strangely dressed boy to full health – it was unfortunate that it only had one time use, but Tifa did not regret this.

To her, saving the life in front of her was much more important than her mother's ring – it was just the kind of person she was.

Tifa held the boy in her arms and returned to her cabin, where she took care of his minor wounds for the better part of the month. During the time she spent with him, she learned quite a bit about this young man – she did not fully comprehend him, however. The boy's name was Saito Hiraga – and he claimed that he came from another world. Apparently he had been wounded on a battle field outside the forest, fending off an amazing number of 70,000 Albion soldiers alone, so that his master and everyone else could escape the floating continent. _I was wrong to call him a mere boy. He is a very brave man…_

Saito seemed to be a very honest and straight forward person, as she could discern no deception in his voice when he told her of his intriguing tale of magic and wars. He was very passionate at times as well – the emotion in his voice when he spoke of his 'master' was something she could not fully identify, but it was as if every word he spoke was dedicated to this person. The myriads of colors she sensed in his voice were something to be admired; torrent of emotions flew about this man's tale, and it was if she was standing in front of a symphony of all the good things in the world.

Tiffania wished she could be spoken about in such away.

But one thing was for certain; Saito was not a bad person. Perhaps he's one of purest person she has ever met –and Tifa knew that such a person could not be evil, and so she stayed her hand in erasing his memory of ever meeting her.

So the days passed by, with Tifa spending her times watching the strange man trying to swing his talking sword (_Derflinger,_ he called himself. What a weird sword he has) and failing to do so with mastery. She found this weird, as it contradicted his story – she asked him, "_How did you fend off such a large army if you could not even swing your partner?"_ And then she realized from his answer that he was actually the _Gandálfr_, the legendary familiar of the void mage in the past. From his description, the ancient and powerful rune gave the bearer the ability to manipulate any weaponry with extreme mastery as long as it was intended to be a weapon – and now, apparently Saito no longer possessed the said rune. According to the sword, the runic marking is the link between the master and the familiar – and rune, like all magic, can be fooled into thinking that the contract had been broken. In this case, Saito's heart had actually stopped beating just before Tifa had come to his rescue, and therefore misleading the runic contract to be broken.

How odd.

But she admired him for his diligence, as Saito worked even harder to become a better swordsman even without the rune – that was something Tifa could appreciate in a person. To a person like her, who've led half her life in hiding, Saito's enthusiasm and courage was a refreshing change. But like all good things, her idyllic life came to an end when the Agnes, the Captain of Tristain Musketeers somehow found her little cottage in the woods.

Then for one reason or another she was shipped away from her house, and somehow found herself an audience with the infamous Queen Henrietta de Tristain.

­**-**_**Few days ago-**_

"You are, Tiffania Westwood, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Albion?" The Queen of Tristain spoke with much dignity, her charisma a natural part of her person. She sat upon her throne of Tristain Castle, where she held audience with all who wished to speak with her. The room was designed to gently remind the visitors that she was the Queen, and that her authority was supreme. Suffice to say, Tifa was a little more than just scared.

Tifa knelt on one knee, and bowed her hooded figure low. "Y-yes I am your highness. But I-I'm just a daughter of his mistress… I am a person of no importance. If you would just allow me to return to Albion…" Tifa spoke with as much courage as she could, but her words came out in a jumble as she tripped over her own words. But the Queen raised her hand, and stood up with her long Royal Scepter in her hands. With long, dignified strides the Queen stepped down from her elevated throne to greet her crouched figure.

"Tell me, why do you cover your head so?" Queen raised her hand to pull the hood from Tifa, but she flinched away as she realized what the Queen had been about to do. "Please, your highness! Anything but that, please…" Tifa chocked back a whimper, as the pressure was starting to get to her. This whole trip to this foreign country against her will was not doing any good for her mindset, and on top of that to be speaking to a Queen of all people…

But the Queen was not to be denied. "Why do you shield yourself so? I am sure by the beautiful voice and the silky locks you possess; you are quite the beauty, or at least the _Gandálfr _could not stop praising you so." _And of your 'melons', but that's beside the point. That Saito, I swear…_ "Now, why do you hide your beautiful face?" She was not harsh in her questioning – it was simple curiosity, nothing more. Still, this was the Queen of Tristain – when she requested something, it might as well have been an order. Tifa sighed, and prepared for the worst. "Your majesty – you see… this is why I hide."

Tifa pulled her hood back, letting her horrific elven ears out for the whole world to see.

To her credit, the Queen had not even flinched at the sight. But Tifa could see it in her eyes: the disgust, the disdain, the judgmental view of these mere mortals –

"Why Tiffania dear, those ears must be the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" The Queen unexpectedly invaded Tifa's personal bubble, her hands reaching for the pointy elven ears. "W-wha, m-m-majesty, you can't, please -" But Tifa's cries of protest went unheard as the Queen successfully molested her ears. Tifa could only whimper as the Queen stroked her long ears in a soothing motion, an action which immediately relaxed Tiffania to the point where she was almost falling asleep.

"Now now, Tiffania. You shouldn't hide such beautiful ears. I assume your mother was of the Elf race?" At the Queen's question, Tiffania barely nodded her head in agreement – she couldn't trust herself to speak anymore, the Queen's soothing hands were somehow impeding all her thought processes. "I see. Well, rest assured – though we Tristains aren't free of prejudice, we do not hate upon those of non-human origins… and especially one of my own blood." The Queen ruffled Tiffania's long blond hair like one would to a sibling, a kind smile on her usually stoic lips.

"Your own… blood?"

"Yes, of my own blood. Your father was a brother of my father – as you know, Albion's royal family and our own are closely intertwined. Which would make you my cousin and therefore, a royalty in my eyes – your half blood status be damned." The usually stoic Queen cheerfully smiled as she turned to reclaim her seat on her throne.

Tiffania stood up a little shakily, her balance escaping her as she fought to maintain composure. However, the Queen ignored this altogether as if she were old friends with the half-elf. The air of formality was replaced with warm hospitality, as Tiffania could almost taste the warm emotion in the air. As the Queen beckoned her closer, Tifa obeyed and carefully stepped before the intimidating throne.

"Tiffania Westwood, from now forth you will discard your fake name and take upon the name of the Royalties – hence forth you are no longer Tiffania Westwood, but Lady Tiffania de Tristain." With that, Queen Henrietta tapped Tifa on her shoulder with her Royal Scepter.

Tifa was now a royalty.

**-**_**Current day-**_

It was still a surreal experience, to know that you are a royalty – after a lifetime of isolation, suddenly now the people were talking to her as if she was normal. Of course, given that she still hid her ears behind her cute little green cap, Tiffania still found it absolutely amazing that the people here would be so kind to her, and actually _talk _to her. And then there was the queen herself.

Henrietta de Tristain – she was the ruling Queen of Tristain and the wielder of one of the four Elemental Rings. That in itself was already quite impressive, but Henrietta's name went far and above that of the standard awe the names of royalty brought about in the continent of Halkeginia.

Even Tiffania have heard of the nickname of the Queen of Tristain – in Albion, the people called her the Iron Gauntlet Queen, because of her ferocity in her politics and her stoic attitude.

But she heard before that the Queen wasn't always like that…

Regardless, Tiffania had accepted the Queen as somewhat of a sisterly figure – a bit of a distant sister, but a sister nonetheless. Henrietta had provided her with everything – clothing, shelter, and even an official education in magic! Tiffania was now enrolled in Tristain Magic Academy as an official student, much to her excitement and dread.

Excitement because she loved to learn magic, and dread because she was not exactly a _people person._

Speaking of school… today was the Evaluation day.

_Oh no, I'm late, I'm late…_

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When the Kumogakure and Iwagakure decided to go to war with Konohagakure, they did not expect the war to last for so long nor did they expect such high casualties.

The Iwa Kumo-Konoha Ninja war started six years ago, when Kumogakure sent a Jounin diplomat sent to Konohagakure under the guise of peace negotiations. The official reason was to get rid of the 'bad blood' between the nations, built over decades of wars in the past. The diplomat's true mission however, was to kidnap a child of the main branch of the prestigious Hyuuga clan, who were known for their _doujutsu_ - the infamous Byakugan. The bloodline limit gained its infamy throughout the Great Ninja Wars, where their ability to scout and gain intelligence played a key role in Konohagakure's victory over the other great ninja villages. Kumogakure had not forgotten their bitter defeat at the famed all seeing eyes, and had deemed that even an underhanded _public_ deception was worth the prize.

Unfortunately, the mission had failed miserably. The Jounin diplomat of Kumogakure had been brutally killed during the kidnapping, and the Hyuuga heiress had been returned safely to the walls of the Hyuuga Clan. Of course, when the news of mission failure had reached Kumogakure, they immediately pressed charges on Konohagakure for murdering their diplomat, who possessed diplomatic immunity. Kumogakure angrily threw down the ultimatum – either the head of the killer as compensation, or to war. They made this demand, fully knowing that it had been the head of the Hyuuga clan who had been the one to murder the traitorous Jounin diplomat. It was a politically brilliant move on Kumogakure's part – in one fell swoop, they would've gained the secrets to the famed Byakugan while crippling the enemy of one of their highest ranked commanders.

That was why it was all the more crushing when Konohagakure sent back the heads of every Kumo-nin who had been present for 'negotiations' in earnest reply.

It was an insult Kumo would not, and could not afford to take lying down – so the ugly head of war reared its head not a mere decade since its last performance.

Kumogakure officially declared war upon _Hi no Kuni _and not unexpectedly, Iwagakure also declared war on _Hi no Kuni_; they were still sore from the last Ninja war, and they were itching for a payback _especially _now that the wretched _Yellow Flash_ was out of the scene. It was the worst combination for Konohagakure and _Hi no Kuni_ as a whole, because of the combined might of not one, but _two_ Great Ninja villages rallying against them.

Fortunately… Konohagakure was prepared. Well, somewhat.

The War had seemed grim at first, odds heavily favoring the combined army of Kumo and Iwa. The number of ninjas they've amassed was nothing short of astounding, as their ninja squadrons were no longer squadrons, but an entire army. An army made up of _entirely_ ninjas – perhaps the largest ninja army ever assembled.

This was something very different from massing up an army, as this was something else entirely. Ninja by nature were extremely difficult to train, as the trend heavily favored quality over quantity in the harsh environments of various ninja villages. But because of this, a ninja was best of the best when it came to outright combat and had gained the fame of being almost inhuman in their pain tolerance and skill. If you were a ninja, you were valued at approximately five fully armed samurais – no small feat, as samurai were just a scale below fully trained ninjas.

To have amassed an entire _army_ of ninja was something to be feared.

Compared to the combined might of the two great ninja villages, Konoha's forces seemed feeble at best – their Densetsu no Sannin were nowhere to be seen, and every ninja in every class were outnumbered at least three-to-one ratio. The only thing that Konoha had going for them was the terrain advantage of trees and secret routes – and at first, they tried to capitalize on this as Konoha ninjas tried to execute guerrilla-style skirmishes along the massive ninja army of the opposing nations. This turned out to be a grave mistake, as somehow the Iwa-Kumo nins were good, if not _better_ at fighting in trees than Konoha nins were. The campaign turned out to be an absolute disaster, as Konoha chūnin teams were decimated left and right.

It seemed that someone had leaked intimate knowledge about the _Hi no Kuni,_ and Konohagakure was paying for the price in full.

The Iwa-Kumo army celebrated in good cheer, as they knew they were going into this war with full knowledge of their enemies. As the saying went, "Know yourself, and know your enemy – then you will be victorious hundred times out of hundred." They knew Konohagakure's infrastructure as well as the strength of their army like the back of their hand, and was fully confident that they could not lose this war. Victory seemed imminent, as the army saw hints of the large walls of Konohagakure over the horizon…

But of course, like in all things… there were always exceptions.

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**Konohagakure, Underground ANBU Tunnels - Unknown Chamber**

**Seven years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

**Two months into Iwa-Kumo Konoha War**

"Is he ready?" In the dimly lit room filled with scented smoke, two figures stood quietly in the darkness.

"Yes, he is beyond ready." The dark figure in the corner bristled as if to silently express his impatience on the matter. "You know what needs to be done. This is the best and the fastest way to end this war. You know it, and I know it." The man stated confidently, certain that the other person would see truth in his words.

The brighter figure sighed at the insisting tone the other man took, his guilt ridden heart weighing heavily in his chest. _I know so. You do speak the truth… but will I be able to live with myself after this? To use him in this manner… it's horrible._ But just as the other man had said, he knew what needed to be done. To end this war as quickly as possible, while minimizing casualties...

He thought Konohagakure was ready for this invasion: however, the enemies came well prepared and had prepared an army made of ninja, something he thought wasn't possible – and now, because of his miscalculation (he had not thought that the Iwa would jump into the foray so readily), his beloved ninja were suffering for it.

_For the absolute necessity of our survival, and for the future of our generation…_

"Do it."

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Author's note: All feedbacks welcome. And yeah, I messed around a bit with storyline and such… forgive this humble author, heh.

I feel bad for cutting things off here, so here's a little snack for you guys.

Preview of next chapter:

_Defeated and crushed, the Kumo ninja pathetically tried to crawl away from the man, no, boy who possessed the eyes of death._

"_M-Mashin, it's a Mashin…"_


	3. Flight of the Crane

It's been a while. Life is blah – and so here I am. By the way, anyone else think its retarded to yell out techinique names?

Notice: Someone asked me to provide translation for all the Japanese used in this fic. I will do so, but only for ones that aren't prevalent in the series. Otherwise, visit the Wikipedia page for Naruto.

Oh and, some parts of the ZnS timeline has been seriously re-worked. But you'll just have to wait and see which parts have been changed.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: blah blah blah. I don't own Naruto or ZnS.

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**Inseparable**

_A Naruto-ZnS FanFiction by _  
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

Chapter 2:

Flight of the Crane

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**Iwa-Kumo Konoha Warfront**

**Seven years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

**Two and a half months into Iwa-Kumo Konoha War**

Head offifth division,of the mighty _Yonjû_ _Raikurai (Forty Lightning bolt),_ Commander Kuwabara Ishin stared impassively at the great walls of Konohagakure from the outskirts of the Iwa-Kumo camp. He was absolutely unamused. No, in fact he felt like killing something… preferably anyone with the symbol of Leaf on their damned forehead.

Despite the fact that the Grand Army of Kumo and Iwa had reached the walls of Konohagakure almost a month prior, they have achieved absolutely _nothing._ It was disgusting, really – the way these seemingly scalable walls were everything but. The walls seemed to just _repel_ all things made of chakra – be it lightning or chakra-infused rocks, anything with chakra was repelled back towards whence it came with thrice the original force.

It was a simple yet amazingly effective method of defense, as the chakra-repelling property prohibited enemy ninja from scaling the wall with chakra as well.

Though if you were to really think about it, it wasn't all that surprising – this was the village built single-handedly by the head of the Senju clan, Senju Hashirama - infamous for his ability to control the mighty _Bijū_ as if they were mere pets. It would be only natural that the village he built would have such a mighty defense against chakra-based attacks, if the fearsome Senju was known for dealing with massive chakra constructs. But that still didn't change the fact that this single defense was extremely effective _especially_ against ninjas – and because they had forgone with the siege instruments (who would need a catapult when you have Iwa ninjas who can throw boulders for you? Besides, they slowed everyone down) they had no effective way of breaching the wall, unless they somehow destroyed the large front entrance (which was heavily fortified and proved to be _also_ chakra repelling).

Then there were the underground tunnels. Few ninja from Iwa tried to dig a tunnel into the village, but for one reason or another they found themselves losing direction underneath the village, coming right back out where they entered. Figuring it was genjutsu, they sent in a few genjutsu experts in there with them – but they were just as baffled as to why they came out exactly where they entered. It apparently wasn't genjutsu, according to those who went underneath the village. Ishin had to scoff at this, as this was becoming rather ridiculous.

Iwa ninjas were practically one with the earth – idea of _them _getting lost inside the earth's crust was ludicrous as hearing Raikage dying of a freak thunder storm. But the reality was that they were in fact getting lost and were unsuccessful in breaching the village defenses.

That only left aerial assault, but that route was quickly crushed as the few drop attempts ended in multiple barbequed squadrons. The Konoha bastards somehow always knew when there was a drop attempt, and had been more than ready for the drop squadrons with a few Katon experts. The attempts quickly ended when it was deemed that it wasn't very wise to jump into pit of flames that could light up the sky like fireworks.

So for a long, uneventful week after their latest attempt at breaching the mighty walls, the combined ninja army had been just staring at the impassive walls that stood between them and glorious victory.

Ishin swore loudly as he drank his portable tea.

_It is shameful enough that we had to request mainland for __siege __assistance… but we have no choice. At this rate, we'll be here all year. _Ishin gazed at the setting sun, sighing as another unproductive day went by. _It is odd that they have not retaliated yet however… after the first wave of those guerrilla attacks, those Konoha bastards haven't even tried to make contact with us. _Ishin rubbed his chin, as a thought occurred to him.

_Either they are extremely confidence in their defense, which is always a possibility… or they have something else in store for us. _It wasn't unlikely. The Hokage of Konohagakure was someone who was known as the God of Shinobi, even in the other elemental nations – he was so far undefeated in his long ninja career, and was rumored to have mastered every known jutsu in _Hi no Kuni _and much more_._ The rumor was that he was becoming rather senile in his old age, but Ishin knew from experience that older ninja were far more dangerous than younger ninja. Old ninja veterans did not make mistakes – because if they had, then they would've died already. For a ninja to live past 30 was a feat in itself – and the Hokage was nearing 70 years; that spoke volumes about the old man's skills. He must have been doing _something_ right to live that long in a _ninja village_.

Someone who achieved almost mythical status like that – they don't just doesn't _sit around_ for two weeks doing nothing. Something was coming, Ishin was almost positive.

_Question is__:__ what __could possibly harm us? We vastly outnumber them; I doubt even the God of Shinobi would think twice of ambushing us. So what could possibly turn the tides for them?_

Only the silent night wind answered Ishin's stray thoughts, the familiar sound of his fellow men marching about the camp being the only solace for Ishin's troubled mind. Ishin quietly shook his head, his sharp mind coming to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done as long as the walls weren't coming down. _We'll have to play their game now… but we have the combined power of Kumo and Iwa at our side. Whatever the God of Shinobi has in store for us will not succeed,_ Ishin tried to convince himself.

But regardless of his reasoning, Ishin felt doubt in his own words. He felt something in the air, something unpleasant – the air was strangely thick, suffocating Ishin with its heavy pressure. It was as if they stood before the eye of the storm… the calm before the end. It was too quiet.

And he was right… so absolutely right. Ishin would hate himself as he died.

Ishin couldn't even scream as the first defensive line of the camp was completely incinerated by the largest wave of fire anyone has ever seen.

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White hot wave grand as the prominence covered the expanse of the Konoha forest in an instant, the peaceful dusk turned bright as the noon. The attack – if it could be called an attack - was quick and sudden; no one had noticed the wave of death until it was far too late. It was a perfectly executed attack: most of the veteran ninjas had barely detected the flare of immense chakra being used for the attack only a fraction of a second before the fire consumed them all. Iwa ninjas hastily put up their earth-based defenses, but the overwhelming heat turned their own defenses against them as earth barriers melted into mush of molten deathtraps and liquefied anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in it. Kumo ninjas, who were scattered towards the inner circle of the camp, tried to run for their lives, but humans weren't built for outrunning a tsunami of any kind – let alone a tsunami made of flame. Everyone was one way or another, incinerated alive – screams of agony drowned in the roaring flames as their flesh melted away from their bones, consuming until nothing but ashes remained.

It was Hell on earth.

The unstoppable flames finally came to a halt as it consumed the entire Iwa-Kumo encampment as well as the majority of the green forestry bordering Konohagakure. It was as if a god had decided to take a bite out of the land – with everyone in it.

And lo' and behold, there he was.

Super heated air diffracted the air around the figure, the mirage-like porcelain mask wavering within the column of heat. He was too small to be adult, limbs too thin and shoulder too narrow to be any older than a teen. He was only a child; however beyond the mask there was living fire, trails of the unearthly flames shifting out of the tiny eye slits of porcelain mask. Hot wind howled around him like a hungry wolf, the very symbol of beast amongst the flames.

This was Konoha's ultimate weapon; a mere boy wielding powers not meant for mortals. And yet there he stood, great flame simpering about him like an obedient dog – he seemed a being out of this realm.

His eyes however… filled with living fire, saw neither life nor death.

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"I must…. Get away… I must… live…" Shinji Rokubungi desperately crawled out of the hastily made cave, having barely made his escape from the monstrous child. He clutched at his burnt stump of a shoulder, where the inhuman blaze had claimed his arm like a hot knife through butter. _He cannot be human… that… that thing! _The enemy had killed everything as far as the eyes could see. As far as he knew, Shinji was the only survivor for miles around. He was lucky to be alive, because he was the one always quick with his hands – and that was the only reason why he had lived. Shinji was pretty sure his teammates were all but clumped carbon by now, but he couldn't help but to feel glad to be alive - he was never more thankful for his cowardice.

But even if he had gotten away with his life, it was not without a price. The fire claimed his right arm and the pain was excruciating – and because he had lost his arm he could not perform anymore jutsus. Shinji was lost and alone in the middle of enemy territory, crippled and foodless and helpless as a baby.

But he couldn't die here, because he had a reason to live.

He had a family back at home – his darling wife and a four year old daughter, his whole world – he had a place to return to. He simply could not die here! Who would feed his middle class family? Who would watch his daughter's singing performance? Who would lend his wife a hand when she's feeling fatigued?

_I cannot die here, I must go on – I must get back I must move forward –_

Whiii – the sharp whistle was a chilling sound that cut through the night like an arrow – it wasn't an unfamiliar sound to Shinji. With all his will Shinji threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the kunai aimed for his head.

_No, I was pursued! How could this have happened? _But nonetheless Shinji was no fool, and realized the grim reality with relative ease. He was crippled and exhausted – his only chance at survival was on conditions that enemies should not have been able to trace him through the ground.

But even that had already failed.

Shinji frantically searched his surroundings, his eyes darting left and right. He had so much to live for! He could not die here. He did not want to die here. _This is unfair! _But he knew the reality. He was the weak prey in the woods; the predator in the forest was quiet and fast.

"S-Show yourself you coward! I am not afraid of you!" Shinji yelled in false bravado, his good hand trembling with his kunai in hand. His eyes were dilated, becoming sensitive to the minute change in the surrounding light. Then he saw the dark blur hidden behind the lush leaves of the forest. There he was! Shinji knew he had to strike first if he wanted to win.

With a ragged war cry Shinji charged in with his kunai ready to rip out the jugular with a singular blow. Then he heard a sound – a familiar sound. It was a scream, and it was coming from not too far away. Shinji mused that perhaps there were others who survived.

It took him seconds to realize that he was the one screaming, cradling his now shattered hand to his chest. The kunai lay broken within his broken fist; the jagged shrapnel's serrated edges ripping his hand apart with every twitch of his mangled hand. Shinji tried to crawl away, to find a shelter, to find something, anything – and yet he knew it was futile. This was how he was going to die.

His legs shattered next in a brilliant flash of gore and violence.

The unseen blow had instantly crushed his kneecaps and tibias with a single strike, breaking his lower legs beyond any possibility of recovery. Shinji continued to scream even as blood pooled in his mouth, his throat raw with vibration of his own screams.

Then everything seemed to still – Shinji, for a split second, felt the very air around him stand still like bated breath. Figure shrouded in cloak of blood, his murderer was upon him with his deadly blade descending upon Shinji. Red eyes of tri-tomoe so grotesquely lacking in humanity reflected the calm moonlight, cased in indifferent porcelain mask – it was the very image of judgment. He knew his end was here. This was the end – he would never see his family ever again. Shinji shut his eyes closed, his heart fearful and hopeless. He cursed with all of his might, wishing terrible death and misfortune upon this demon, this monster –

And it was the last Shinji knew of this world, his eyes forever locked unto the image of his beautiful wife and child – even as his corpse turned cold, the unfeeling flesh shredded beyond recognition.

The murdering demon stood calmly in the moonlight, the unnatural stillness blending him into nature as if he always belonged there. With an uncaring flick of his wrists, his ninjato was freed of repulsive blood and with a smooth motion it was sheathed into his scabbard on his back. The teenager was the epitome of tranquility, the red in his eyes receding to obsidian darkness many were accustomed to.

Uchiha Itachi had already grown familiar with killing.

"Mission accomplished."

Whispered words hung in the air as the boy, no man vanished, as the surrounding forest echoed with death screams of unlucky survivors.

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In one night the Iwa-Kumo army had lost one third of its legion of Ninjas. In that one single night, the spearhead of Iwa-Kumo army had been incinerated into nothingness, with no survivors to tell the tales of what had happened. There were many rumors milling about: some said that the Third Hokage had delved into the forbidden realm of Jutsus to summon forth the mighty Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun. Some said that it was an elaborate trap made by the Katon experts of Konoha, and others said that it was a work of a demon.

But there were three men who knew of the whole truth, and a boy who stood at the center of it all.

The die had been cast.

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**Tristan Magic Academy**

**Classroom 42: **_**Theoretic Magic**_

"The Known World is covered by the mystical substance we call Ether, the medium for our magic…" Tiffania stifled a yawn as she rested her chin on her hands, her drooping ears reflecting her less-than-enthused mood. She already knew this stuff, even if it had been a really long time since she's been taught. Elves had a phenomenal memory, and it seemed that she had inherited her mother's side of the brains as she could vividly recall her magic lessons her father had personally taught to her, the few times that he had been around. _The world is covered by Ether, which allows the channeling of our magic through the focus of our wands and affect the world in a physical manner. Ether is what allows Albion, the Floating Island to stay afloat and remain static in its position above the Great Sea. _It had been very fascinating long time ago, but by now it was just plain old information to her – and worse, information she already _knew._ Being placed in first year of Magic Academy was rather redundant, but those were the arrangements.

Tiffania disliked redundancy.

But, she did have amazing amount of patience – or at least that's what people told her – and it nicely counterbalanced the impatience she felt at being forced to listen to Professor Chevreuse's lecture. It wasn't a bad lecture at all – Professor Chevreuse had a very soothing voice, and had right amount of temperance for most things going about in the class. But still, she already knew these things and she was daydreaming already.

_The Evaluation Test could have gone more smoothly… _ Ah, the Evaluation Test. This was the reason why she was stuck in the first year. Void element tends to become explosive when combined with other elements, and her evaluation test was of no difference – she had been asked to transmute a simple cup of water into solid iron, which would have been simple enough in theory.

However when the Void was concerned, nothing was hardly ever simple. At first nothing seemed to happen, and then the water had started to glow slowly. Tiffania had been hopeful – but alas, it was not meant to be. The water had then spontaneously exploded, the innocent glass cup turning into deadly shrapnel which proceeded to imbed themselves all over the room. Tiffania was just glad that no one was hurt; everyone had enough sense to take cover when the water started to turn a strange shade of red.

Needless to say Tiffania had failed the test spectacularly, and only the assurance of the Queen herself swayed the proctor enough that he gave her a passing grade.

And so, here she was.

"…now, the prime example of use of Ether is the very wands you all use for various magic; essentially, the tip of your wand becomes the focal point…"

Tiffania could only sigh as her pointy ears twitched in irritation.

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**Tristain Castle**

**Queen's Chambers**

Henrietta de Tristain was rather feeling irked this one beautiful morning.

The morning sun had reminded her too much of Wales, her ever-present Tristain Royal Ring reminded her too much of Wales, and her teary face in the mirror only reminded her too much of Wales.

Wales Wales Wales. Oh how she loathed that man. It wasn't enough for him to break her heart, but he had to get his entire country involved? It wasn't any fault of _hers_ that Viscount Wardes had been a double agent – how could Wales believe that she was trying to assassinate him? How could he? She had been in _love _with him! Hadn't she been a faithful and loyal lover, despite the political restraints upon their relationship? How could he just throw away all the evidence towards contrary and declare her his sworn enemy?

Henrietta wavered for a moment, and had to hold on to the wall for support. When she glanced up with tear filled eyes, she saw the grand portraits of those who had come before her – the Kings and Queens of the past. _How could I ever match up to you, mother? How can I protect my people in this time of crisis?_

_Do __**not**__ be weak, Henrietta. You're stronger than this. _The image of her mother seemed to speak to her, her portrait firm and yet kind – and Henrietta swallowed the tears and began to freshen up to another active day in the court. But as she walked down the grand halls of her castle, she could not help but to recount the events that had led to this political mess.

It had all started with the disastrous farce of a "marriage proposal" to the Emperor or Germania a year prior. At the time, Henrietta was merely princess and all the political power was in the hands of Cardinal Mazarin, who held onto Tristain with draconian grip after His Majesty's death. It was he who proposed that she be wed to the Emperor of Germania so that Tristain may enjoy a long and healthy alliance and benefit from the larger, more powerful country.

This was necessary due to the impending threat of civil-unrest from the floating island of Albion – the nobles there have banded together to rise up against the royal family, and from what they were saying after the Albion royal family is taken care of, Tristain was next on the menu. To stand against this, Cardinal Mazarin proposed that an alliance with Germania would successfully discourage the course of war, and proposed his plan.

To be honest, Henrietta had been disgusted by the thought of being married to that pig of a man – especially because she was already in a relationship with Wales, the Prince of Albion. Of course, everything was very hush-hush – only her closest advisor knew of her relationship, and obviously if the word had gotten out that Henrietta de Tristain, the Princess of Tristain was already a taken woman… Germania would not have taken the offense lightly, especially because Tristain had been the one to make the offer. So it was of utmost importance that she let Wales know about the situation, so that he could return a certain letter she had sent to him which could jeopardize her diplomatic status as well as the reputation of her country.

Even if… it was something that contained a piece of her heart. The letter Wales possessed was the only letter she had ever written to him, professing her love with every fiber of her being. To take such an item back… it was an act of Oath Breaking, but what choice did she have? This was a very hard choice for Henrietta – this was essentially her way of letting Wales know that the status quo had changed – that they could not be together anymore… she hoped that he would not take it harshly, and understand her position on the matter.

For this important task of deliverance and retrieval, she had chosen two of her favorites – Hiraga Saito (or Saito Hiraga, was it? He was such a strange boy) and Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, one of her dearest childhood friends. To guard them on their journey, she also allowed the Captain of Griffin Knights, Viscount Wardes to accompany them to the windy slopes of Albion.

This was her most fatal mistake.

Drama between the Viscount and Louise aside, the fool traitor Wardes had tried to assassinate Wales while trying to gain possession of her love letter. The scariest part was that he had indeed succeeded… but only for a short time. From both Saito and Louise's accounts, apparently Wales had indeed taken a most fatal strike to the chest delivered by none other than the Viscount himself. He had collapsed on the altar, his hand clutching his bloody armor as he fell over dead. Saito had stated that this was when Wardes had turned his attention to them both, Louise in her wedding gown and all. Saito had fought Wardes for a short time, but apparently the Viscount was too much for the familiar, and he had been almost bested in sword-to-sword magic combat.

But this is where things stopped making sense.

Suddenly the corpse of Wales had sprung up, as if guided by invisible strings, and had joined the battle. If it could be even called a battle, that is. According to Saito, Wardes had stood no chance – Wales' golden sword had sliced cleanly through Wardes' wind sword like butter through hot knife, and the next thing you know he was "sliced onions", as Saito put it.

Wales had then accused the pair of assassination plot, and proceeded to attack them - both Louise and Saito had barely managed to escape with their lives intact through the resulting encounter.

The next thing she knew, Henrietta was hearing news of the Albion Rebellion being ruthlessly quelled by the "Righteous King", apparently a god-like warrior who is unable to be killed in battle. In matter of weeks, Albion had a new king and sovereignty was declared – Wales Tudor, the apparently immortal King had officially taken charge.

Henrietta was happy at first – Wales' victory meant that the imminent threat of Albion attack had been vanquished, and therefore ridding her of the need to marry the Germanian pig. The love between Henrietta and Wales could be now materialized, now that she had no opposition to fear – everything was looking right for once, and she had been truly happy.

That is, until Wales had officially called her out in a diplomatic meeting on the port of Albion, with great urgency. She had taken a few of her Griffin Knights as well as the legendary Gandálfr as her bodyguard, not expecting trouble but the Cardinal had insisted on it.

If someone had told her that night that she would owe her life to the Cardinal, from the sword of Wales of all people, she would've had them locked up for mental instability.

The meeting itself was a disaster – Wales had proclaimed that he was cutting all ties with her. He had said such harsh words to her; his bitterness had come off in waves to Henrietta's disbelieving ears. He had accused her of cheating on him, and assassinating him when he became a liability to her – he had told her that he was finished with her, and that Tristainians are to be considered enemies within Albion. Henrietta could only ask one thing - she had asked him that if he truly thought that she hated him enough to order his assassination. She pleaded for him to embrace her passionately as he had done so in the past – but Wales was not to be moved. His silence had spoken volumes – and she would never forget the sight of his monolithic back as he silently walked out of the meeting…

…and forever walked out of her life.

And the moment he left, she immediately felt the flare of magic around the building, and had barely escaped through the open window just as flame magic consumed the building she was just in. Henrietta had recalled the words Wales had said, and knew that he meant them effective immediately. She was in grave danger, and her Griffin Knights were just holding back the armed foot soldiers threatening to break through the hastily raised defense line. Henrietta had felt true shame as she ran that day, as Saito and her Griffin Knights sacrificed themselves to get her to safety.

_But Saito _is_ alive, and in good health: Louise isn't mad at me anymore… it really is a good thing that he lived. May the Progenitor forgive me for the sacrifices of my Griffin Knights – I loved each of them dearly. _As she faced the two massive doors that led into the main Court of Tristain, Henrietta breathed deeply as she don her personae as the "Iron Gauntlet Queen": immovable and unflappable, she was sword personified.

_This is for the future of my country – I am not the silly lovesick girl anymore. I will do right by my people, and lead this nation to greatness._

Henrietta de Tristain, the Queen of Tristain majestically strode into the Grand Court, her eyes shining with determination.

_But for this to happen, Gallia must fall._

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Konoha had launched a sharp counterattack following the destruction of the Iwa-Kumo army's frontal assault forces. Previously the Iwa-Kumo army had encountered almost no resistance in marching through _Hi no Kuni, _and had assumed that they had fled out of fear of fighting such a large army entirely made of ninjas. In reality however, it was all part of Nara Shikaku's plans – the Flight of the Crane formation. The formation is akin to a crane unfolding its wings to fly; from the tip of the wings to the body of the crane forms a perfect circle outlined by the wings of the crane.

In the same sense, Shikaku's strategy was to allow the enemy deep into their territory and have them encounter the body – Konohagakure – while small but elite forces enclose the enemy from all around the land of _Hi no Kuni_. This was the reason why the Iwa-Kumo army had encountered little to no resistance in their prideful march towards the Village Hidden in the Leaf – many Leaf forces were dispersed throughout the outskirts of Fire Nation, very few were stationed in the path of the unstoppable army.

The "Wings of Crane" squadrons were all given but one order: to capture or eliminate all who tries to escape the circle. They would engage in guerrilla-type warfare where they would harass the enemy and dwindle the numbers little by little. The mission began when the signal was given – no one was told what the signal was, but the higher ups had assured them that they would know what it was when the time came.

And sure enough, the signal was given.

Without warning, the night turned into day – all squadrons had felt the inhuman level of chakra flare from where the "Body of Crane" lay, and visually confirmed the large column of fire bright as the sun decimating the Iwa-Kumo army. This was, without a doubt, the signal for their mission to begin.

The Prominence, as they came to call it, had only eliminated the bulk of Iwa-Kumo army's spearhead, the frontal assault forces. These forces were approximately made of mostly elite Jounin and Chūnin forces – it was the standard battle formation adopted in the Ninja Wars. The complete annihilation of such a critical portion of the army had dealt deep dent in the effectiveness of the Iwa-Kumo army as a whole, as well as the psychological fear that they were facing something immense.

No one in the Wings of Crane knew what had exactly transpired at the Body of Crane – all they knew for sure was that the enemy was on full retreat and they had a mission to accomplish.

So the Crane soared with a great beat of its wings, and all impurities cowered before the cleansing wind.

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**Kumogakure, Tower of Heaven**

**Seven years after **_**the Calamity of the Fox**_

**Four**** months into Iwa-Kumo Konoha War**

Raikage, the undisputed power in all of _Kumogakure,_ was not a happy man.

Theoretically, it should have been an easy campaign – their foe had been (supposedly) weakened by their previous brush with the _Kyuubi no Youko,_ so many in his council agreed almost unanimously that the Konoha shouldn't have lasted more than half a year at most against the might of their _Kumo _Nins. Combined with the might of sturdy Iwa ninjas, who did not need a reason to wage war against the Leaf, victory seemed imminent…

…Except, the old Sarutobi apparently had an Ace in the hole.

_They should have been weak. Those bastards should have been on their last legs, recovering from the Bijū… _Raikage grit his teeth as he surveyed his active village from the high vintage point of his tower. _Who would've thought that they had enough power left to crush the combined army? We are worse__off than when we've __started. _It was the sad truth. So far, this war had accomplished _nothing _of what it was supposed to_. What had happened to __regaining __our honor, to gain revenge against the shame Konohagakure brought upon our name?_ _All that remains is the tattered fragments of our armies and widows without husbands!_

The large death toll on both Iwa and Kumo villages were heavy burdens, economically and mentally. The war economy was already expensive as they were, and it would take another generation or two to revive the Kumo military might to what it once was. But Kumogakure did not have generations to spare – and Kumo Daimyo's patience was steadily running out. _Tsk, the ignorant old fool. He who understands nothing __of __war thinks he could order me around, __**me! **_The Raikage fought the urge to spit, as he wouldn't do anyone favors by dirtying his own office. Two villages' combined might had produced almost no results, other than the disgraceful defeat it had suffered at the hands of Konoha master tactician. Raikage's temple throbbed with thick veins as his teeth grit hard enough to break stones.

_Whoever it was will be getting a warm greeting soon from me..._

The Raikage sighed as he turned back to his desk, where the current ire of his life lay innocently on his grand mahogany desk. The latest report of head count of his army was dismaying, but that wasn't what disturbed the mighty Kage – it was the _method of defeat_ that irked him. It seemed that the Sandaime Hokage was done beating around the bush of their secret game.

It was a common 'secret' among villages that every village held a dirty secret of their own, a trump cards of sorts. The damned Hashirama had given away the mighty Bijū as a sign of trust, the foolish man – and as expected, the beast were caught and subjugated… or at least, there have been attempts to subjugate them anyway.

The lure of power was too great for any village – to have a walking super soldier capable of moving mountains and destroying armies with a single blow! It was any leader's wet dream.

The Kumo had not one, but two of these monstrously powerful beings – his own brother and the child of death – and so Raikage wasn't foolish enough to think that the other villages wouldn't have trained 'deterrence of war'. If he had two, then he had to assume that his enemies have three. But the obvious truth was certain:

Every nation had a monster of their own… the question was, _which one?_

To bring out the Jinchūriki out on the battlefield meant one of two things, perhaps both – it was an act of desperation, or a calculated risk. The actual public use of Human Sacrifices was highly frowned upon, but no one cared as long as they won the war for them. _Disgusting things, we humans are. _But that was the nature of things, and Raikage embraced it whole heartedly.

This was why his great imposing face set into a stony frown as he read the disturbing report. Raikage's battle formation was a simple, yet effective one – he had squadrons consisting of Chūnin through Jounin (most of them specializing mainly taijutsu) in the frontlines, where the main combat would be held. They were the shield of his army – and behind them were the genjutsu users as well as the long-range ninjutsu users who were the backbone of Kumo's army. Genins were the last in the hierarchy of Kumo army, as they provided support from the very back of his squadrons with provisions and acting as the messengers between the main capital and the front line.

It was a time-proven strategy – while the shield defended the bulk of the army, the genjutsu and ninjutsu users would eradicate the opposition with ruthless precision. The precious next generation of ninjas – the genins – would be both protected and being useful at the same time away from the battlefield. The formation was akin to a turtle, except on a wide scale – there were sub formations within this formation, but this was the overall structure his army held as a grand whole. This formation was also very fitting, as Iwa nins both reinforced and improved upon this formation. The Iwa nins and Kumo nins complemented each other in offense and defense, making up for where the other lacked.

But the strongest formation in the world could not have accounted for what happened in _Hi no Kuni._

With a pained grunt Raikage reread the damning report.

The status report was a short, and to point – just the way he liked it: _65% of our Jounin population MIA or deceased; 42% of Chūnin MIA or deceased; 98% of Genins returned without much issue. __Further inquires underway. - Respectfully, Captain Hiroshi Ryochi__ of San Raikurai, part of __of Yonjû __Raikurai__._

_Additional note: The 5__th__~34__th__ divisions of __Yonjû_ _Raikurai__ disappearance is being investigated in full._

_The entirety of Assault Divisions__, obliterated without a trace… _ This was almost reminiscent of the Third Great Ninja War, where reports of absolute decimation of Iwa forces were daily news. _But that man is dead and gone, for certain.._. The Yondaime Hokage, the Yellow flash was confirmed dead almost a decade ago. There was no need to bring back bad memories… so the only possible conclusion for such a grave loss was the deployment of a Jinchūriki.

It was the only logical conclusion.

That was the easy part of this particular conundrum however. What the Raikage really wanted to know was how exactly did this Jinchūriki bypass his _entire army _of _trained veterans _and cause this disaster, without leaving a single trace? It could not have been an inside job; Raikage knew this without a doubt. The two aces of Kumo were under his control, and as much as he knew of Yugito's hatred towards him he knew the girl wasn't foolish enough to blow up an entire army for the enemy. Aside from them, there wasn't anyone who was capable of blowing up an entire army right under his very nose. And besides, Yugito was currently grounded under his ANBU compound anyway. _Ungrateful child needs to learn her place in this world… sooner the better._

But incompliant Jinchūriki aside, this single event was an extremely debilitating blow to his campaign. For the loss of battle itself, it was not irreversible damage. Men could be trained, and clans can be repopulated. It was the nature of this attack that dealt the most damage towards the most fragile part of men – the mind. To have bypassed all odds and completely annihilating the assault squadron without a trace was no easy feat, and soon the people will start talking of another Yellow Flash in the works. And of course, that had to be prevented at all costs.

"Ku ku ku… I see that the Old Man Sarutobi is feisty as ever." The unwelcome slithering voice shifted through his quiet musings, and Raikage almost attacked him on reflex. It was Orochimaru, one of the Densetsu no Sannin. Raikage personally detested the man – he was far too scheming and slithering for his own good – but he had to admit, the slithering snake had good information and a good brain on his shoulders.

Of course, that didn't stop the Raikage from almost turning him into a smear on the wall.

"If you want to live, Orochimaru, I advise you to announcer yourself when in my presence. It is only by my grace that you are able to stand on my lands – but this hospitality is quickly growing thin, Snake." Raikage grimly chuckled as he stroked his large mustache. "Tell me, did you know this would happen? Your information proved invaluable in trekking through the tree-infested _Hi no Kuni,_ and the retreat that transpired after… what happened. However, the Iwa-Kumo army suffered crippling losses." The Kage's imposing eyes narrowed as electricity started to arc around his massive form.

"If you want to live, you had better tell me some answers."

Despite the imposing figure of the Raikage, Orochimaru never lost his composure to fear. He seemed almost amused instead – his long slimy tongue tasted air as if tasting the ozone. Then he began to laugh almost hysterically, the snake Sannin clutching at his robe as he laughed. Then he suddenly regained his calm as if he'd never lost it in the first place – then without warning, a large snake emerged from his wide mouth.

His only answer was the unsheathing of his legendary sword, the Sword of Kusanagi.

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Dun Dun Dun. Orochimaru vs Raikage? Wha??

What's going to happen now?!


End file.
